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This was Yvonne's big hit before her #1 single "If I Can't Have You", from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack.

Submitted by: MOR

"I Don't Know How To Love Him"

Opening Lines:

I don't know how to love him, what to do, how to move him.

Comments:

"I Don't Know How To Love Him" was Yvonne Elliman's first major pop hit back in 1971 (going to #28 on the charts) and is from the 1970 "Jesus Christ Superstar" Broadway production when Elliman played the character of Mary Magdalene and was only 19 years old (Elliman would repeat her performance of the song in the motion picture production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in 1973). Yvonne Elliman was born Yvonne Marianne Elliman on December 29, 1951 in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was also raised there. Elliman's father was of Irish descent and her mother was of Japanese and Chinese descent. Shortly after graduating in 1970 from Honolulu's President Theodore Roosevelt High School, Elliman was cast as Mary Magdalene in the original Broadway production of "Jesus Christ Superstar", and although Elliman sang the original -- Australian Helen Reddy would have the bigger hit with "I Don't Know How To Love Him" with Reddy taking the song to #13 in 1972. Elliman's performance in the motion picture of "Jesus Christ Superstar" would earn her a 1974 Golden Globe award. in 1975, Elliman had a top twenty hit with a remake of Barbara Lewis' 1965 hit, "Hello Stranger" and then have a hit with a remake of the Bee Gees song, "Love Me". Elliman's Bee Gees' remake must have earned her the respect of the Brothers Gibb because they wrote the 1978 #1 song for Elliman, "If I Can't Have You" from the motion picture soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever". Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" was the first time that an Asian/Pacific Islander woman had a #1 song. Elliman also sang background vocals on several of Eric Clapton's tune, including Clapton's #1 remake of "I Shot The Sheriff" in 1974. Elliman still performs to today and has released recordings all the way up to 2004.